Zachariah T. Lahr

It is the young men of to-day to whom the nation looks to sustain her present standing and prosperity and lead on toward a more advanced and felicitous future, and no class of men contribute so largely and unstintedly to the public welfare as the farmers of our country. Laws may be made and plans laid for the upbuilding of the various branches of commerce and consequent prosperity of the public. But if the farmer is unable to raise good crops, should drought or flood or any other cause cut short the supply, the entire world feels the effect and stringent times are sure to follow. As agriculture is one of the leading industries of the United States, it is well for us that the farmers of the present age are using brains as well as brawn in the cultivation of their crops. They are not content with a modicum of success, and are satisfied with nothing short of the best possible results. Among the younger element who are taking up this work with the intention of making out of it the largest returns is the gentleman whose name heads this article, Zachariah T. Lahr, who has a natural as well as an inherent aptitude for husbandry and is destined to become one of the leading farmers of Huntington county at no distant future. Mr. Lahr was born July 19, 1878, on the farm which is now his home and has grown to manhood in Polk township where everybody knows and likes him. His parents, Jacob and Catherine (Sperb) Lahr, were highly esteemed residents of the county who moved here about the middle of the nineteenth century and were among the most desirable settlers of this community. The father was born at Statten, county of Kirchheim Bolanden, in the province of Rheinish, Bavaria, June 13, 1851, and in company with others left the Fatherland for America. The following August he made his way to Huntington county, Indiana, and was employed as a farm hand for several months. He was married August 17, 1857, to Miss Catherine Sperb, who was born February 22, 1836, in Esselborn, in Hessen-Darmstadt. Both parents had fine educations and were highly intellectual people, possessed of industrious habits and a commendable desire to be a credit to their country. Nine children blessed their union, viz: George W., born September 23, 1858, unmarried and a resident of Dallas township; Jacob F., born July 21, 1860, is a resident of the rolling prairies of Kansas; Franklin M., born December 31, 1862, died August 24, 1864; Mary E., born October 2, 1866, married Henry Miller and lives in Huntington; Susanna, born August 16, 1868, married Albert Hahn and lives in Polk township; Emma, born March 27, 1871, married William Giphart and lives in Allen county; Eli, born August 11, 1873, makes his home in Kansas; Barbara, born July 29, 1875, married John Miller and lives in Polk township; and Zachariah, born July 19, 1878.

Zachariah T. Lahr grew to man's estate on his father's farm, performing the multitudinous duties which fall to the lot of the farmer boy and becoming familiar with all the details of the work. He takes pleasure in excelling in whatever he undertakes, every detail receiving his careful consideration, and he is considered one of the most progressive farmers in this section of the country. He was married to Miss Mary I. Fulton, who was born in Polk township November 27, 1879, whose parents were old and respected citizens of Huntington county. Mrs. Lahr is a highly accomplished lady who graduated from the common school and completed her studies in the Huntington Normal. Mr. Lahr, like most of his name, is a Republican and takes an intelligent interest in the success of his party. He is a wide-awake, energetic young man, public spirited, willing to work for the promotion of the general welfare, and his genial disposition and hearty enthusiasm speaks for the success of any enterprise which he endorses.